Brunettes Can (& def. should) Use Purple Shampoo Too!

purple shampoo for brunettes
Hair, hair, hair… oh man the things I’ve got to say about hair. You ready?

It’s my best friend, and it’s also my worst enemy. 

On the one hand, I am oddly attached to my hair. Whenever my poor poor stylist (sorry Sean!) comes within 3 feet of me w/ a pair of scissors in his hands my palms start sweating, my heart starts beating faster, & the panic attack begins. He literally has to get me a glass of wine & a magazine to distract me from watching the floor & micromanaging how many inches I see fall to the ground. #OCD.

On the other hand, when I have those days (sadly, this is most days) that my hair won’t do what I want no matter how many products/hot tools I use, I just want to throw my hands in the air & chop it the eff off. Luckily, due to past experience, I’ve learned to never ever follow through on that one. Short hair + me = a total fail.

It’s a never ending love/hate relationship.

Lately, the biggest hair battle I’ve been fighting is BRASS. I am team ash all the way, so the fact that my hair has decided to pick up brassy tones is driving me off the walls. I recently went to my hair guru to correct the brass, & although we got some of it out, it’s a process that involves a few spaced out visits to the salon. When it comes to orange hair, I am extremely impatient, so I decided to take matters into my own hands.

Which brings me to (d-d-d-drumroll please) PURPLE SHAMPOO!

fashionlush, purple shampoo for brunettes, shimmer lights review
I’ve heard about purple shampoo before, but it wasn’t till this interview w/ the uber cool Wesley Bird that I actually considered it something I should be using.

I know what you’re thinking– isn’t purple shampoo just for blondes? I mean it says so right on the bottle? False false false!! Brunettes can totally use it too, and if you’re on team ash like me, you needed to start yesterday.

(Blondes, don’t click out just yet, I’ve got some much-needed purple shamps tips coming at ya!)

fashionlush, purple shampoo for brunettes, shimmer lights review
I wanted to do a personal trial run before recommending it to anyone, so I’ve been washing my hair with purple shampoo for about four weeks now & have seen some major results. My brass is still present in certain lights, but it has DEF. faded dramatically. Another visit or two to my main hair man + some more purple shampoo sessions & I’m confident I will get that perfect grey-brown I’m so obsessed with.

Over the past month, I have learned that purple shampoo isn’t just like normal shampoo & there are a few crucial things you need to know before you hit the shower::

+ Which one I use: Shimmer Lights shampoo & conditioner (update: I have recently switched to Pravana’s formula specific to brunettes– it a bit more blue/teal so it’s even more effective, although the purple works great too & can be a little less harsh!).

+ Don’t use it every time you wash your hair! It can be super drying so you only want to use it every 3 times. Personally, I only wash my hair 2-3x a week (love those natural oils), so I kinda did it every other time instead. If you wash your hair on the reg., I’d stick to the every third wash rule.

+ Let it sit. Unlike your normal shampoo which you rinse out almost immediately, this stuff you want to let it sit for a bit. The longer you let it settle in your hair, the more it banishes the brass. Shave your legs, exfoliate your face, sing a song, or do whatever to kill some time while you let the shampoo work it’s magic.

+ Condition. Condition. Condition. Purple shampoo is basically a toner, so as I said above, it can really dry out your hair if you don’t condition properly. After I rinse out the shampoo, I mix together a lil’ bit of the Shimmer lights purple conditioner & It’s a 10 Miracle Deep Conditioner + Keratin. I let that sit for about 2-3 minutes & then rinse with cool water to seal the cuticle. When I get out of the shower, I pat dry my hair (never aggressively rub dry, that causes major breakage), brush with The Wet Brush (« if you don’t have one, buy NOW! It will change your life), & then apply It’s a 10 Miracle Leave in Conditioner. When my hair is dry, before I use my hot tools, I apply Moroccan oil to protect & smooth my tresses.

[ Sidebar: as you can see, I am a huge fan of “It’s a 10” products… they are simply the best! End of story. ]

Whoever said blondes get to have all the fun, lied. Brunettes can partake on the festivities as well & have a total blast. That is if you consider washing your hair a good time… which I totally do.

Any other brunettes out there had good experiences w/ purple shampoo? Tell me all about it!

xx, E

fashionlush, purple shampoo for brunettes, shimmer lights review

++ the picture to the right is after just 5 purple shampoo washes! ++

320 Replies to “Brunettes Can (& def. should) Use Purple Shampoo Too!”

  1. I love purple shampoo and have been using is on and off for about 8 years. I like to tone by blonde down sometimes and it keeps it from fading too much. Mostly my colourist is incredible but he recommends I still use it now and again to keep it from fading brass.
    xoxo
    The Accidental Mama
    https://theaccidentalmama.com

      1. I used to have black hair and I recently dyed my hair brown. I used Revlon 57 lightest golden brown dye. My hair is not the same color as the box and it’s a little more darker like in between medium brown and dark brown. I wanted to know what color would my hair be like after using Shimmer Lights shampoo??

    1. So I just recently had a hair disaster. I wanted to make my hair a little lighter (you know like the summer look) and so I died it a little more blonde and it came out to be super blonde and after my first wash it was orange!!! I have naturally brown hair ..so I tried to dye it back to brown and now it’s looks brassy and orange …will this shampoo fix it??? And possibly make my hair look brown again!?

      1. It will definitely help! Put it on dry hair & let it sit for 10-15 minutes. It doesn’t pull color, but should help cool it down!

        1. I took am a natural ashy brunette ( hate warmth!) and got an awful all unintended all over highlight…was intended to be highlights, but she did all over bright blonde color. I dyed it hack to brunette but it had to be a warmer brunetter because ash would turn me green…would purple shampoo help or turn me green?

          1. It won’t turn you green! I have the same problem & it helps :)

    2. So I got my hair lightens to a ashy ombré and they messed up so my hair has a faded line were they added brown color back in and toned the blonde to a ash color. As I wash my hair the ash color fades a little will this bring it back? And will the purple shampoo change the brown color and make the line more noticeable? Or will it help blend that line?

      1. it probably won’t help blend the line, but could definitely help with the ashy-ness :) x

    3. I agree with this post. I’m currently rocking a sombre hair style with light to beigey blonde on top of my natural soft black Asian hair. I washed my hair (only two days ago) following the instructions on the Shimmer Lights Shampoo bottle (lather, wash and repeat once) and noticed just a day ago that my black hair turned to a dark ash brown colour. It’s very interesting because I didn’t intend for that to happen but I’m happy with it since I skipped dying my black hair a brown undertone. The shampoo basically did it for me.

  2. Shiny Silver by One and Only and Daddy-O by Lush are great purple shampoo alternatives to Shimmer Lights! For me, the scent of the shimmer lights shampoo makes me queasy =/

    1. Yea- the scent is a lil’ on the Grandma side but luckily the products I use mask it! I will check out those as well though :) thanks for the recommendation!

  3. LOVE this post! I’m Asian and my hair is lightened and Asian hair gets brassy sooo easily and it drives me NUTS. I hate hate hate any brassy… I feel like it looks so harsh on me. I definitely need to pick some purple shampoo up! How many washes did it take until you noticed a difference?

    1. Just one question (I accidentally pressed post before I was done), does toner or toner shampoo fade color itself on brunette hair? (my ends are lifted and have a soft caramel color).

      1. The purple shampoo typically pulls out any color that is reddish– so it may. It leaves it a very ashy blonde.

  4. Hey, i have my hair dyed like a dark brown color but theres reddish/orangey colors all over which look really brassy. Would this purple shampoo help me or would it turn ash blonde? Because from your picture on this blog, it seems like it took away the dark parts of your hair color, it looks super pretty but im looking more for a dark solid brown color since i want it to be like my natural color. Thank you so much!!

    1. I definitely think it would help- my ends are lighter so it definitely made them a bit lighter, but the top part that’s brunette just got more ashy!

  5. How long does the result last? And do i have to keep on applying the purple shampoo twice a week for it to stay the same ashy colour? OR is it just a one time thing till i get the ashy colour result? Also from the picture it seems like your natural hair colour or the top/root colour is pretty dark, did the shampoo change that too? Thanks! :) xxx

    1. You have to keep it up! I typically use it less though now, one time a week. My roots are just darker always!

  6. Hey, is this shampoo good for dead and split ends? I really need something to help my dead ends and maybe the frizziness… Help me plz! Thanks xx

    1. I am not quite sure cause my hair is just boring old brown, but I’d be worried if the color is really rich that it could strip some of it as it works kinda like a toner?! Eek, wish I could help more– I would maybe ask your stylist! x, E

  7. Hey! I just came across your blog doing a research about purple shampoo. I’m a brunette, but the bottom half of my hair is slightly copper because I dyed it copper and then red in the past. I got rid of the dye with color b4 and then dyed it with my natural color. But now that dye is starting to fade and the copper tones are showing, which I think it’s not my best look…do you think purple shampoo or conditioner could help with that?
    Elena xx

    1. Definitely! That’s pretty much my story as well & it totally helps banish the brass! x, E

  8. hi, i dyed my hair brown but its turning into a reddinsh brown each time i wash it. i have fudge purple shampoo, will this shampoo take away the reddish in my brown hair? thanks

    1. I am not sure what fudge purple shampoo is, but if it’s normal purple shampoo, it should def. help! I had the same scenario & it worked for me :) x,e

      1. Finally someone who knows what i’m going through haha :) Oh that’s great to hear! I will be using purple shampoo from now on, thanks

  9. I’m a Brunette too and I use purple shampoo on and off to keep the brassy-ness down. Right now I’m in love with Steiners Silver Brights…smells so good and works great!

    1. Oooh, I am looking that up now! Most of them have a very “old lady” smell, so I am sure I will love it!

    2. Hi so I just used shimmer lights shampoo on my ombre hair. I have dark brown hair with a really light blonde ombre. I noticed I have a purple tint to some of my brown roots. Will this come out and fade within a few days!? It’s not that noticeable but I can tell there are pieces that have a purple tint. Is there anything I can do to get rid of the purple tint without using dye or bleach? Or will it just fade after washing it a few time?
      Thanks!

      1. That’s strange! I have brown hair and have no purple tint? I wouldn’t worry though, it should fade!

  10. Hi! I just bleached all my hair to make it white then gave up and got it dyed dark brown, it has gone a really reddy orange tone at my roots which I am not liking aha, I’ve still got some purple shampoo from the blonde, do you think using it would lighten my hair or just make it ashy? I wouldn’t mine either as I’ll probably go blonde again soon haha

    1. I think it would definitely help get the red out & shouldn’t make it too much lighter as long as you don’t leave it on too long!

  11. Hi everyone I am a natural redhead. I have more of a copper tones in my hair with some light redish highlights natural. I want to try out purple shampoo but I’m not sure if it would effect my hair color or make it look better! Any advice?

    1. I think it would take out a lot of the red, so if that’s what you are looking for I do think it would work :)

  12. my daughter is naturally blonde but put on a light brown semi permanent colour on her which has been in since Sept but seems to be taking forever to come out. It has faded but she just wants her blonde hair back. Will this help?

    1. It will definitely help! The purple shampoo pulls color, so I would let it sit for 5 minutes before rinsing to help pull some of that color.

      1. Thank you. We tried it for five minutes last night and there’s definitely a difference so she’s happy and so am I as I don’t really want to have to dye her hair to get her back to blonde. It was only a semi permanent one which we used to cover up the last traces of the damn 6 wash Blue she had in for the school holidays! With one wash with the shampoo I can see a difference as she had natural highlights in her hair and I can now see different colours in her hair now so we will keep using it.

  13. your hair is gorgeous!!! it looks fantastic after the purple shampoo. i have dark brown to medium brown hair with brassy tones, will the purple shampoo that you used work on my hair to take out the brassiness? thanks :)

  14. Hi! I have naturally dark brown hair but have been dyed blonde for a while.. I decided I wanted to go for an ombré look so got my roots dyed a chocolate brown colour.
    Now I want my blonde end bits to go blonder but want the root colour to stay dark… Would purple shampoo change the colour of my roots?
    Thanks!

    1. It may lighten them up a bit, I would suggest just washing the ends with the purple shampoo!

  15. Worried about what this will do to my (natural) strawberry blonde/ginger hair… Will it ruin it? Can’t find answers anywhere on the internet x

    1. if you are looking to cool down the color a bit, it shouldn’t be a problem! I think it would work better on natural hair actually.

  16. Thank you for this helpful post! I have naturally black hair, had light brown/caramel/blonde hi lights and balayage in but I wanted the hi lights to be lighter And blonder, will purple shampoo help? Thank you so much!

  17. I bleached my hair 2 weeks ago and its orange and have alil yellow in it i want to take out that orangy color and go to blonde ash does shimmer purple shampoo take it out? If it does how many washes?

      1. I died my hair neutral medium brown. Could I used the shimmer lights as a toner? How bad will it fad the color

  18. I have medium-dark brown hair with caramel highlights, will this help if it turns orange/brassy? I’m assuming I should only leave it on for a minute or so and only use it once every week or two weeks….your input would be great! Thanks!

    1. I am in the same boat girly & that’s how I use it! It definitely helps :) x E

  19. Ok here’s the lowdown. Purple shampoo does not deposit color or subtract color. It merely tones out the color opposite itself on the color wheel (orange/yellow). It works the same as a to er. If you want great results, slather your hair with it in sections before you shower (yep right on your dry hair). Let it sit 10-15 minutes and wash out. You cn thank me later.

  20. Just bought me a bottle of purple shampoo, the lady who sold it told me to leave it in for a good 5 minutes. I just read one of the posts here and you say to apply it on dry hair so , is it better on dry or wet hair?

    1. I typically do it in the shower, but a reader just told me that dry hair works better!!

  21. I have dark brown hair and I had so many high lights on top that I looked blond on top. I dyed my hair brown it turned ashy. I dyed it a darker brown it turned red. I was thinking about doing the food coloring thing then I thought how about my simply blue shampoo. Hope it works.u hair used to be so healthy because I used wen shampoo for over a year. Do you think it will take out the red and I will be brown again?

  22. This is the thread I’ve been searching for for weeks!! I only wish more people would have come back to comment to hear if it worked to their intended end.

    I’ve been coloring my hair since I was about 27 when the gray started to move in. A while ago, I switched to all over color and highlighting every other appt to blend the gray better. So technically, my hair’s “natural” color goes from white (in the front) to graphite (underneath in the back).

    Despite not being a granny in the least, this whole granny hair trend for the younger crew has convinced me to embrace my authentic self at 53 because regardless of how great a job a colorist does, coloring my hair every three weeks and a double process every six is the equivalent of throwing an awesome vacation right out the window. To those who might think letting my hair grow in to its natural state is a sign of laziness, the truth is, there is nothing lazy about it. My efforts are likely going to cost me plenty as I am not one to do the whole natural root or cut it uber short. I think once it grows in, it will be a much better match my complexion and accent my best feature – bright blue eyes. Google Beautiful naturally gray hair.

    To help avoid the severity of demarcation, at my last color appoint I had her weave in a lot of highlights and low lights leaving the roots alone. Of course, with so much color on my hair, there was no way it was capable of going from the deeper brown to the ash blonde without some brass and orangey tones (My hair has a tendency to pull orange regardless which is always tricky).

    So here’s the question…. if I use this shampoo, will it affect further highlighting in the future? Or even more extreme, my idea is letting it grow out and then color matching the gray like they would do for granny hair. I would prefer this as a last resort because if it goes badly, the solution would be to just cut it short.

    My hair is just too thick for it to look good and since I am not 5’11” and 125lbs, I will look like a pinhead with a pixie.

    So, will this shimmer stuff hurt my plan of further lifting the hair and maybe have to plain out bleaching and toning to color match as close to the outgrowth as possible in a few weeks? If I do the latter, I know I will likely need to cut the hair a lot shorter as the ends will fry regardless of preventative hydration treatments.

    Well.. this turned into a book. Im going to get it tomorrow along with 100% cocoanut oil as I’ve seen it repeatedly advised to use to prevent extensive damage.

    PS… read the post re: Wesley Bird – and yep.. I can see why you’d be obsessed.

    1. Hey there! How cool is Wesley?! Thanks so much for reading & visiting Fashionlush.

      As for your hair, first & foremost, grey is stunning!!! I love it.

      Secondly, I am not a total hair expert, but I can give you advice based off of my experience. Using the shampoo doesn’t actually pool color, but rather tones it. The purple helps counteract the red. That being said, I don’t see any reason why it would cause future problems at the hair salon.

      Actually, purple shampoo was made for grey hair to help take red out, but then blondes started using it… & now brunettes too. I really don’t see how it could hurt, I would give it a try for a week (every other wash) & see what you think :)

      Hope that helps! x, E

      1. It worked… while a little too well on the white outgrowth (I got a little brighter and a little whiter), but it definitely helped lighten and blend the highlighting overall. Tip: it’s really quite drying as a shampoo, so I am glad to have done a really deep condition with 100% cocoanut oil before, plus I bought these hydrocaps (at Sally’s) that literally shrink wraps onto your head with the help of a blowdryer. Also bought a wet brush.

        Thanks for giving your opinion – and hey, I learned a long time ago that you don’t have to be an expert at anything to have earned some pretty stellar credibility! So Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

        1. Aww, thanks so much Molly! I am glad it helped. Yes, it can be drying so I always double condition :) xo

  23. Hello, so I am a brunette, but it’s been about 3 years I have been dying my hair red. Right now my hair is like a faded red kinda brownish…would the purple shampoo still work on me?
    Thank you

  24. greetings. I went to go get my dark brown hair higighted and the stylist changed it orange! So we quickly put in dye to change it back to dark brown. Now it’s got a red tone to it, especially near the roots where it was highlighted. Will this shampoo help take that red tone away?

  25. HI! SO MY HAIR DRESSER DID AN OMBRE ON MY HAIR, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT HOWEVER SINCE MY HAIR IS NATURALLY DARK, IT IS A LITTLE BRASSY NOW, I DID GET THE PURPLE SHAMPOO AND USED IT THIS MORNING BUT ONLY THE FRONT BLONDE PARTS GOT A LIGHTER PRETTY COLOR THE BACK DIDN’T REALLY, SHOULD I TRY AGAIN AND LEAVE IT ON LONGER? IS IT BETTER WET OR DRY? AND SHOULD I USE MY OWN CONDITIONER AFTER? THANKS!!

    1. I would try it dry & leave it on for about 5-10 minutes :) Definitely use your own conditioner as the shampoo can be drying!

  26. I have light brown hair (dyed) with blonde highlights (bleached). I bought this product but I’m wondering if it will do anything to my light brown hair?

    1. If there is any red, it will help get rid of that & it could also lighten up the blonde!

  27. Hi!
    I’m definitely going to try out these products from your recommendation, but i was wondering, on the days that you don’t wash your hair with the purple shampoo do you simply use regular shampoo/conditioner or does it have to be sulfate free, or it doesn’t matter? Your input would be great! thx :)

    1. I typically use sulfate free, just because it’s better for your hair, but really whichever is your favorite!

  28. Hi! I’m naturally a dark brunette and recently got some blonde ombre and baylayage from my hairdresser and it is completely brassy. I purchased ‘It’s a 10 for blondes” and have noticed it’s purple! I am so nervous to use it because I don’t want it to turn my brown hair orange, do you know if it’s okay if I use it? Thanks!

    1. The purple tones down the red shades! My hair is brunette & I use it all the time :)

  29. Hi, I have dark brown hair and recently got dark blonde ombre/baylage. Although I wanted caramel, it came out more like a dark golden blonde or extremely light caramel. I want to change it to a caramel color, and tone down the blonde. Will purple shimmer lights help or will it just make the blonde lighter?

    1. The shimmer highlights will lighten the blonde, but it will also help tone the color! Caramel has some more red tones, so this would probably not help with what you are trying to achieve as it takes out reddish tones.

  30. Just got my dark brown hair bleached, then toned to a level 6..essentially it looks a shade lighter than the dark brown hair I had. Waste of bleaching. Anyway; toner is fading and im getting that orange brashness. This shampoo will revert that???

    1. It may not revert it completely, but it will def. help! If you think about a color chart, red & purple makes blue & blue is what tones down color :)

  31. Hi ive got a huge dilemma at the minute im naturally dark haired and i tried to do my hair blonde at home at it didnt work and now im completly orange/ginger. It looks so bad in sunlight but not too bad out of light. Ive been using a purple shampoo to try and get some of the orange out but it isnt doing much. Is there anything i can do at home i go on holiday in a couple of days. Would loved to have gone with lighter hair. Tia

    1. Eek! I would try putting the purple shampoo on dry hair & leaving it on for 10 minutes (like a mask). It can be drying, so deep condition after!

  32. Stephanie go to sally’s beauty and get a wella Toner. I had flaming orange hair from bleaching and that toner made me a beige blonde in one application

  33. I had the most awesome dark brown hair that I adored. I wanted to balayage the ends for summer. The stylist turned me a bright orange. I went to another stylist and she was able to get my base color back but I’m still orange/ weird brown at the ends. Will this help me with out taking away from the base color? I was bleached twice and my hair is a little fragile.

    1. It should definitely help fade that orange (that’s actually the same reason I use it!). Just be sure to deeeeep condition or do a coconut oil hair mask. x

  34. Hey! This was really helpful but I was just wondering – I am half Asian so my hair is naturally dark and I’ve dyed it many times before. This summer I want to get it to a white-ish colour so I can dye it silver. My hair is a dark brown now – if I washed my hair now like you said with a purple shampoo will it get rid of my brassy tones so then when I finally bleach it it will be less yellow?

    1. it should help! I also sometimes put it on dry hair & let it sit for about 10 minutes for a stronger effect!

  35. My hair is naturally a dark blonde but I went through a phase of dying it dark brown, red and also black. Now that its summer I am hoping to go lighter. My aim is to have a dark ash blonde on top, with light blonde ombré towards the ends. I went to a hairdressers who lifted it from black to a chestnut brown with some highlights, but they did a terrible job. I went to another hairdressers to have it fixed. They lightened it to make it brown on top and a dark blonde towards the ends, but the top of my hair and roots are a dark orange colour! I am aiming to get a more ashy natural colour with no brassy bits at all. I have just ordered this shampoo but I was just wondering if this is the right way to go?? :)

    1. I think it could definitely help, but the best way to get the read out would be to ask your hairstylist to tone your hair!

  36. Hi Erica!

    Thank you for your post. Very informative and helpful. I was wondering, however, if both purple shampoo AND purple conditioner were necessary to get the desired effect – that is, the no brass-iness look? I’m curious because I bought the shampoo today and asked the people at the beauty shop if the conditioner was needed as well and they didn’t seem to think so. Will I still get the same effect with just the shampoo? I know toning is very drying so I have a Keratin conditioner/mask that I planned on using after the purple shampoo.

    I’m very new to this so any suggestion will help :)

    Thanks!

    1. Yes! As long as you have a good conditioner the purple shampoo will do the job just fine.

  37. Great post! Thank you so much for sharing. I had the hardest time finding someone brunette sharing their personal experiences on preserving blonde highlights and preventing them from getting brassy. I went ahead and purchased the Shimmer Lights Shampoo & Conditioner after reading your blog and began using it earlier this week — so far, so good, but I’ve found that it can be super drying! The brassiness is slowly diminishing but not completely just yet. I can’t wait to share my own experience with my readers after I’ve used it enough to evaluate! Keep up your awesome blog!

    xoxo,
    sharon

  38. Hi I just want to ask, coz I just dyed my hair and the roots turned more orangey blonde and my hair’s body to the ends are fine. If I use purple shampoo, what will happen to the orange blonde roots? I’m scared that it might go lighter and not match my ends.

    1. It could go lighter, that is a risky one… maybe if you just put it on your roots for a little bit (dry hair) & rinse? I would try it!

  39. My hairdresser has been bleaching my hair for ten years, but now I want to have a few brown highlights. I am naturally a 5 shade, but with a silvery grey around the front. Which colour would you suggest? My hairdresser suggests 7.7! But I thought a 5 colour would be best

  40. Hello,
    I have naturally pretty dark brown hair, and I got a few face framing “highlights”, but because I had virgin hair, my hairstylist said that I didn’t need to “bleach” it, but instead use a light colored dye to get that natural lightened sun kissed color. When it was first done I really liked it, but now I think that the lightened strands are starting to look a little brassy. I was wondering if you knew if the purple shampoo also works for brassy hair that has been lightened with dye? Or does it only work with hair that has been highlighted with bleach? Any feedback is appreciated, thanks so much!

    1. I am not 100% sure, but I think it should work with any type of dyed hair! Doesn’t hurt trying :) x

  41. When you use this shampoo, do you use it/apply it like normal shampoo?
    And when you use this and rinse out, do you have to go back and use regular shampoo right after or can you use just this one alone as a shampoo?

    1. I use it alone as the shampoo & apply like regular shampoo but I let it sit for 5 minutes or so.

  42. I have been dying my mousy colored hair medium brown for a couple of years. I just had a friend determine that I am a seasonal summer, based on my hazel eye color (mostly brown) and skin tone. Unfortunately, my dyed hair has golden/red highlights in it (which she called autumn), and now no color I wear looks good on me. I need to have a cool tone. I’d do anything to have my ashy colored hair back and forgo the deeper brown color I have now. Will this shampoo remove the unintended golden/red highlights? Will it be able to turn my brown more ashy, as well? Truthfully, I don’t think I ever turned a true brunette. I went from blonde (as a child) to a darker mousy color after having 3 children. If there is a better hair color for me, please share. I now know I must avoid “warmth” at all cost.

    1. it won’t remove it completely, but it could help get rid of some of that auburn! Trust me, I totally feel ya on all of this though- I would do anything for my ashy brown hair back as well. Purple shampoo has definitely helped big time :) x

  43. Hi, will it work for non-bleached hair as well? I naturally have dark brown hair but have dyed it at home to go lighter (no bleach) and my hair turned reddish especially in the sun- will this shampoo help with this?

  44. Hi, I’ve recently coloured my hair with a natural and ash brown together after I stripped it but I still have some ginger tones will this help… worried it will strip the brown away… already looks faded x thanks

  45. Erica, this is the post I have been looking for! Thank you so much. I do have a quick question – my hair is a little patchy in some places after dying it reddy brown, with some parts being a little redder than others. Do you think purple shampoo will help to even out the tones? Thank you :D x

    1. I am not sure if it will even it out, but should definitely help neutralize the red!

  46. Hi my daughter has had ombre she’s naturally brown.. But the ombre is really blonde. Does the purple shampoo tone down the blonde to a more earthy color?

  47. I am a natural (very light) blonde and I decided to change it up and had it dyed red three weeks ago. Now it has faded and I am so ready to be blonde again, will purple shampoo help!?

  48. I am a natural ginger! I was wondering what would happen if I put blond toner in my hair. It is t18…so purple. I also have purple shampoo. Just wondering if any of these would do anything to lighten my hair

  49. Hi Erica,
    Fantastic post, I have one quick question. I have dark brown colored roots, and ombre. Will the shampoo do anything to my dark brown color?
    Thanks!

  50. HI I just got my hair done they put a toner and it made my hair like , white/gray if I put the purple shampoo will it help take it away I want gone …

    1. Actually, it will me the white/gray more noticeable! I would just let time do it’s work, toner fades!

  51. Thanks you for sharing your experience. Just bought myself some purple shampoo and can’t wait to get rid of this nearly orange hair. I’m just worried about my dark blond natural roots turning purple as they don’t have a hint of brassiness to them. Should I apply to the roots as well anyway?

    1. It shouldn’t cause the roots to get purple, but sometimes I just put it on my ends!

  52. Just dyed my hair a dark brunette shade from blonde, my hair is naturally brown. Will this pull out all the color?

    1. It could pull a bit of the color, but I really don’t notice that as an issue!

  53. I have just had my hair balayaged. So the root colour is my natural colour(fairly dark brown) the hairdresser put a toner on my hair to get it as light as she could, as when I went in it had been dyed all over a quite dark brown but not in the past 10 weeks or so. Will this shampoo do anything to my own root colour the brown? I am happy with the balayage colour if anything just want to preserve it and make it lighter… Will this toner tone the blonde down? In some places it very bright blonde which I love, but in places where it seems to have not taken so well its a little “warmer” than I would like. Sorry its so many questions appreciate any help

    1. purple shampoo will typically make it brighter & tone down the warmth! As for your root color, if there is no die it really shouldn’t have too much of an effect, but to be safe, you can just put it on the ends!

  54. So I have naturally a ashy blonde shade but I used to have red hair when I was younger, so its not warm but it reflects red tints… So I went to get my roots died a brown shade and it’s perfect although it RED and I wanted to be more of brown not alburn shade. Should I use purple shampoo or blue shampoo

  55. Hi, I know you said you’re not a hairdresser, but I’m hoping you’ve read some posts about this… I have natural really dark brown hair, I decided to do an ombre, and specifically told my hair stylist I didn’t want it to fade into a full blonde. She bleached my hair too long and it was almost platinum. She used a toner to get a browner color, but it turned an orangey brass. If I used this purple shampoo, I know it will take out the orange, but will it go back to the platinum?

  56. Hey Erica,

    So glad to find your blog, I’ve been struggling to find information regarding this matter. So I excitedly bought myself some silver shampoo, only to be warned by my flatmate that it will highlight my rogue grey strands that I’ve been trying my best to hide!

    I have balayaged hair from my mid section to ends. Have some warmth and copper going on, hence my interest in the silver shampoos. However I have natural uncoloured hair running from my roots to below my earline. Because I’m not colouring this area, I do have some grey hair, mainly around my temple area, that I disguise with a thick fringe and a tweezer pull of the odd silver strand that I find! My concern is that the silver shampoo will accentuate the very area I want to hide. Perhaps I should play safe and use the shampoo on balayaged areas only? This could be tricky! I tend to pile my hair on top of my head in the shower and worried about any purple goo reaching my scalp, and greys! Help!

    1. Yes- I would just try to apply it to the ends! It will make greys brighter, so you will want to avoid that area!

  57. Thank you so much for this,
    I’ve tried everything but purple shampoo so get rid of that brass sass.
    I can’t wait to get some!
    Amelia
    thecurlyhairedgirl.org.uk

  58. hiiii i had jet black hair than got it highlighted many tones of blondes obviously am experiencing orange/brass tones i actually just bought loreal silver shampoo (wish i saw this product before buying that one because theres not much reviews) anyway i want to know how to use it on wet or dry hair and for how long it would be great if you could help me out and i only was my hair once a week it just doesnt get dirty or oily so can i use it every week or i should use it more for better results xo

    1. I would only use it once a week, & do a conditioning shampoo in between that week. I do it on wet hair in the shower & let it sit for 5 minutes before rinsing!

  59. Just today I had my very light blond hair colored to more of an ombre effect. But the dark shade on top is more red than brunette. The stylist said she had to go with a warmer tone (she only told me this after I commented it looked red when I had asked for ashy/cool aka my real color) because adding an ashy tone to the light blond would turn it green. I’ve read elsewhere that if your hair starts out red/orange/brassy at the time of coloring, using purple shampoo won’t have any effect. What are your thoughts?

    1. I think it could help tone down the red as it seems your hair didn’t start out brassy & the dye made it a bit red! Should help with a bit of that brass.

  60. So I just got my hair highlighted and they turned out orange…will purple shampoo help the highlights turn more blonde? And will it change my dark brown hair to a different color?

    1. It will help brighten the highlights, but would also potentially make your dark brown lighter/more ashy!

  61. Hey, I’ve been dying my hair from when I was 13 and I went from blonde to black, since then I’ve been keeping it the same colour since I was 17 and I went to the hair dressers after it faded out to dye it blonde and it went ginger. So then I dyed it brown and it has faded out for two years into a strawberry blonde my root as a dark blond and semi matches up with the rest of my hair, would using silver touch take the ginger tints out of it?

  62. Hi,
    I have an ashy brown bayalage going on,but it has the tendency of fading very quickly or turning into this brasy/orange colour that means i have to make regular visits to the salon to tone itt back to the ashy brown colour.will using the purple shampoo stop me from making those visits without making it blonde?
    Thank you.

  63. Hi I am interested in trying the purple shampoo because I have naturally dark brown hair and dyed my hair for the first time (ombre/balayge) and it came out blonder then I was expecting. I was looking for more of a natural caramel look. It has been a few months and my hair is looking brassy and yellow-ish. I was wondering if the shampoo works like a toner as well? For example, if I use it will it take the brassiness away and possibly make my hair darker or will it make it blonder? i just feel like the blonde is too drastic against my natural hair color and don’t know what to do. Thanks!

  64. Hi I recently got a caramel balayage on my dark brown hair and it turned brassy. I would love to know if using this shampoo would enhance the caramel colour or make it blonder- I personally would much prefer the ashy blonde you are rocking.

  65. I got an ombre done about a month and a half ago.. Dark brown to blonde. When I left the salon my hair was orange. Would using the purple shampoo help??

    1. You can also try blue toning shampoo. Blue pigment works to counteract orange – sometimes purple isn’t strong enough to neutralize orange. Joico makes a blue toning shampoo.

  66. I have bleached blonde hair then I had it colored to an u ombré and I want the color area on top to lighten up or bring back some blonde streaks the purple shampoo will do that?

      1. My hair was bleached blonde and she added permanent color to darken it.. I’ve been using shimmering lights to lighten the dark but it’s not working in some areas what can I do?!

  67. I didn’t bleach my hair to become blonde, but should I still use this even though I used regular dye and not bleach?

  68. will it help with brassiness due to using sun-in hair lightener ? My hair looks orange in the sun i ve tried dying it darker but it turnes red ?

  69. So not all the hair is orange only section of it and some are blonde, would I still apply the purple shampoo to the whole thing?

  70. Awesome! I found some purple shampoo and really want to try it out. My hair is dirty blonde but more on the darker end and really brassy in some sections (which I hate) sooo, using the purple shampoo wont alter the color much just the tone?

  71. Hi there,

    What is your opinion on silver shampoo? I’m very light brown, almost blonde [naturally dark brown]. I’ve been trying to get/maintain that ash brown for months now. I’ve only had limited results with silver. Brown is a new path for me and my hair, still trying to be on the lighter side. I know how that sounds considering my hair is naturally brown but I’ve been dying my hair since I was 9. XD Mostly blonde, ash blonde, black, red, etc. I hate those brassy undertones from bleaching. I have been fighting with them the past few months.

      1. Yup, I do, I do, every god-damn 2 weeks! This doesn’t make it any better…

        I’ll try the purple shampoo instead! Thanks for getting back to me.

  72. quick question, should you use purple shampoo on ombre hair on JUST THE ENDS and use regular shampoo on your brunette roots or do you massage the purple shampoo and use it from roots to ends?

  73. also, you mentioned that you use the purple shampoo every 3rd wash. do you just use any other normal and shampoo and conditioner between purple shampoo and conditioner washes? thx!

  74. Hi dear, I would really need some advise here! I’m an asian, so naturally my hair is red based but I have dyed over so much colour and finally I got ash green now. I wanted to get ash greyish look but I refuse to bleach!! I know after a few wash, my hair gonna turn back to the brassy red/brown again. However, I am not sure whether should I do silver or purple shampoo to prevent the brassiness but remains my ashy tone in my hair. Whenever, I search on the internet it is all blondies reviews and I can’t get an accurate advise for asian!! Please help me :((

  75. Helloo, I have a question: So my hair is naturally dark brown but I have dyed it very light brown and then I didn’t like it so I dyed it using Lush henna hair dye brun+marroon (which made it red). What will happen if I use purple shampoo? (P.S the henna fades everytime I wash my hair to the colour I dyed it -a very light brunette, almost blonde :/)

  76. Hi! I have a question. I have virgin hair (never colored it) can I still use those shampoos? Will they work on natural hair? Thanks!

  77. Hi! I have very dark brown hair roots. My balayage is super light- pretty much baby blonde. I tend to get brassy (orange) very fast. Can I use purple shampoo on my roots too? Or just where my hair is light? How many times a week do you recommend I use? Thanks!

  78. So, will it make my hair duller? Like strip the natural color out of it? Sorry if you’ve already answered this…

  79. Hi! My hair is naturally dark ashy brown and it was bleached. With that bleach my hair turned brassy and I really wanted my dark ashy brown to come back ? I was using PRO VOKE purple shampoo three times, and between purple shampoo washes I was using regular greasy hair shampoo. On the first and second wash my hair turned a bit ashy, I liked it ? And on the third wash, my hair got brassy tone again.. Whether I should continue using purple shampoo, or not? ?

  80. I had my hair a red-violet color for several months. Decided to change from the red. We did a bleach bath and colored with a 7n at the salon but there is still a little red coming through. Will the purple shampoo help that or change the dyed color?

  81. i have ombre hair and the blonde part gets a bit brassy. Should i use this from roots to end or just on the blonde part?

  82. I have recently coloured my hair a “light brown” colour, not a major difference from the hair i had before. but can i still use the purple shampoo? is my colour gonna get removed?

  83. Hi i have a question about a year ago i had a bayalge done frm mids to ends i wanted a caramel color but the hightlights turned out an orangey color so i dyed my hairblack ever since my highlights started really fading back to that orangey color would the purole shampoo help with the brassey color?

  84. Hi there.
    I don’t really dye my hair but did af few months ago balayage highlights. I love them but just want to lighten them. My natural hair colour is still on top, dark brown. If I use this shampoo do you think it will help lighten the highlights or would you recommend using a silver shampoo and co conditioner?
    I want to keep my natural colour, but if it happened to go a little lighter that would be OK ?
    Many thanks!

  85. hello! i have super dark brown natural hair and i would like to make my hair slowly go grey. is this the best thing for me and will it even work with my hair? i don’t want to die it as i would like the change to be subtle and slow. with my hair i’m hopping for an end result of dark grey hair (possibly a thick ash) thats matt and keeps my natural volume. would this be possible?

  86. Recently got purple highlights but I’m already seeing some orange tones. My natural color is dark brown. Should I use purple shampoo to take out the orange or will it ruin my highlights?

  87. Hey so I’ve been wanting to colour my hair sort of like a medium brown. My natural hair colour is jet black.
    So can i mix the dye and the developer(30 volume) with a purple colour additive ? would that work?

      1. I did ask. But they wouldn’t properly tell me cause they want me to get it done at the salon, which I currently can’t afford. Thanks though:)

    1. Be really careful. I am nowhere near a hair stylist, just a normal girl trying to save some mula on the hairdresser(I’ve never gone to a salon to get my hair dyed). I dyed my own hair last year with developer, I lightened it from a very dark brown to a lighter brown and it honestly fried my hair. It’s to the point where I can’t put any dye in my hair now, all I can do is wait for the damaged hair to grow out and condition the shit out of it! I’m not saying don’t do it yourself, but be very careful and understand that if youre not 100% sure then it’s not worth risking your hair over! I definitely wish I had saved up and gotten it done just once professionally and tried to maintain it myself because I’ve ended up spending just as much afterward trying to save my hair.

  88. i recently dyed my hair a blonde color, if i use my purple shampoo can it turn into a grayish color?

  89. Did you find your hair gets darker initially when you use purple shampoo on brassy hair? Mine tends to get brownish and then I stop using it because I still want some highlights in my hair. I want that nice ashy brown color but somehow the stylist turn my hair orange/brassy. I’m naturally a level 2/3 hair color.

    1. My hair is all natural, no hair dyes or any coloring in it. Naturally black but not to black. Some areas brown. What do you think will happen if I start shampooing with the purple shampoo?

  90. Hi! I recently went to a salon and had my hair dyed ombre style. I have naturally dark hair, and I wanted a caramel colour ombre, but it’s come out blonder and brassy/ashy colour. Will this shampoo help bring out a bit more brown caramel into my higlights? Or shall I just go back to the Salon and ask them to fix it?

    1. It will typically make it more ashy… which doesn’t sound like what you’re looking for! I would suggest going back for a touch up :)

  91. ive been trying to get the semi-permanent blue(which is now greenish) out of my hair. would this product help without damaging my natural hair color?

  92. I am sure it will hold- but be careful with box dye- it can get very red which is so hard to get out. Purple shampoo can only do so much in regards to neutralizing red!

  93. Hi im about to get my hair dyed a black to brown fade and wondering would the purple shampoo/conditioners help pro long the darkness or help the over all quality of the dark colors?

  94. I recently got my hair coloured dark brown and blonde… would using purple shampoo ruin the dark brown color?

  95. Hi! I had some balayages done to my black hair done my hair 2 months ago and have been using the blue joico shampoo. My black hair was supposed to have an ash brown/blond balayage but it’s kinda more like caramel now. Do you think that a purple shampoo would work on my hair and what all should it do? And would it do anything to the black part of my hair?

  96. My hair is naturally black with some brown areas. What do you think would happen if I use the purple shampoo?

  97. Recently dyed my hair black to dark brown however there are orange tints and it looks really bad. What would happen if I used the purple shampoo on the orange dark brown colour? I want to eliminate the orange and slightly darken the colour of my hair. :)

  98. my hair is dark strawberry blonde/light auburn but i want to get rid of the brassiness. this won’t turn my hair, like, gray, will it??

  99. my natural hair color is medium brown, and I recently got golden blonde highlights. I want a lighter blonde without having to bleach my hair again :( will purple shampoo help?

  100. Just curious – how many washes, roughly, did it take for you to achieve that ashy-brown look you were going for?Purchased this, based on your recommendation and a little googling, and have noticed a significant decrease in the amount of brass that saturated my locks prior to this experiment. That said, I’m still left dreaming (six washes in, or so) of that degree of ash I’m now wondering if I’ll even be able to attain on my own. Am I just not being patient enough? Lol

  101. so i used this shampoo/conditioner, loved the results overall , but left some purple strands. as if it gave me the ash blonde look with purple in it as well. what do you think i should do

  102. OMG!! Thank you so much for this! You def saved my day – just dyed my hair dark again and the red tones are sickening, will def try this out. Feeling so relieved!

  103. Hey, I dyed my hair red numerous times when I was younger , now for the past 2 years I’ve been dying it black, but some red tones still come through do you think this would help taking out red tones in very black hair making it more ashy or neutral ?

    1. You need to buy green drops and add it to ur blk hair dye. I had the same problm years ago. I learned tht solution at cosmetology school. Green cancels out red on the color wheel. You can find the green drops at a beauty store. Sallys etc…

      1. When you say green drops, do you mean food dye type of drops? Beauty store thought I was nuts! Annie

          1. Can you add those to shampoo? To get the same affect the purple shampoo does for yellow and orange?

  104. Okay so I just dyed my hair burgundy with blonde highlights on my roots since the colors were so different I ha e a little brassiness from the red bleeding into the blonde if I sue purple shampoo just on my roots will it take away some of the red color ): I love my red I just want the blonde brighter towards my scalp

  105. Hi i have dyed my hair brown and have shades of reddish orangey in thier will this help get rid of it? And if it doesnt what can i use?

  106. Hi! Thank you for this article! I have naturally ashy/light brown hair, and decided to color it chocolate brown. Well, some unwanted auburn/burgundy tones are coming through. I want to go back to my natural color, and i know it will take time. Will this help avoid the auburn stage as it fades?

  107. Hi, I dyed my hair from an unwanted red/burgundy dark soft mahogany brown to a dark brown but my hair still has some burgundy tones to it. Would this help correct my color?

  108. Hi! I’d like to know if the purple shampoo works for dark blue hair as well? I’ve recently just coloured my hair and I am wondering if this shampoo will do it’s magic to maintain the colour:)

  109. hi, i just recently dyed my hair burgundy and i was wondering if purple shampoo would strip off my colour or would it be okay to use it?

  110. I used a different brand, the Joico Color Balance Purple Shampoo. I have brown orange hair and I used it twice yet I saw no difference at all. Should I keep using it or try a different method to tone down the orange?

    1. Blue shampoo will help get rid of orange tones. Try you go color balance blue shampoo.

  111. So I have purple hair and I use to have ombré underneath r, soso now t’s faded asf at the ends. If I use the purple fudge shampoo will it fix this and make my hair purple all over?

  112. I have golden brown/honey colored hair will it help with orangey tones? And I have heard many people say that it turned their hair blue/green does it really do that? Should I use blue shampoo?

  113. At Sally they sale one caller Blonde Brillance it is Awsome I have used the one I use but found this and tried so amazed didn’t know if u tried this one yet but please do but only twice a week the condioner is Awsome too leave on for a bit hope this helps thanks for your help

  114. will using a purple shampoo remove red undertone in my black hair for good ?, or just for some time , because i want a permanent solution , thanks

  115. So I got red highlights yesterday evening and my sides were really dark red. I used the blonde and silver blue shampoo and it turned purple. How can I fix this?

  116. i have bleached my hair to try and obtain a dark grey, but i did this method where i dyed it to a purple black and the hair stylist(with a hair color i wanted after the purple fades) said he did this method, do i still need to use purple shampoo+conditioner?
    i dyed it to this dark color from another brighter color(light grey+blonde ish brown)

      1. Blue actually neutralizes orange brassy tones purple is for yellow tones and green neutralizes red..

  117. I have naturally dark brown hair and thought instead of spending money trying to keep the gray at bay I would have my hair highlighted to a blonde/gray. Yeah, not the look for me. I really, really don’t want to go back to the salon and have them re color my hair, first of all I will feel that the money I spent to get the blond will go down the drain and second I don’t think my hair can take it. Would this shampoo help bring out the caramel out of the color?

  118. This is such a great article! I always like hearing about other people’s experiences with purple shampoo. It is such a miracle worker I swear by it. I actually use Keratin Complex’s Debrass Shampoo and Conditioner. The first time I tried purple shampoo I gave Shimmer Lights a shot because it’s super popular but I just didn’t notice a difference. I needed something with a lot more kick to it! The Keratin Complex works great with my thin hair and dried out locks. It’s been so refreshing to not look like a haystack anymore after only a few weeks after my salon visit. I love the ashy hue that I have now. It’s definitely worth a look at!

  119. Hey, question! So when you apply the shimmering lights shampoo, do you only apply it to the blonde/dyed areas? If you have an balayage/ ombré hair?

    1. I, personally, only apply it to the noticeably brassy areas as it can dry out your hair.
      For extra colour, you can put it on dry hair before showering and leave to set anywhere between 10 minutes and an hour. If you just want the brassiness removed, leave it in for up to 10 minutes (if not shorter) before washing out. If you want more of a purple/grey stain, leave it in for longer. Just remember that it can, and will, dry you rhair, so be prepared to mask it and deep condition after! I do it every Saturday and have silver/lilac hair!

  120. Hey, so I’m naturally an ash/blonde/brown color, I dyed it black and then used the oops color remover and it turned my hair very bright red/orange. I have had my hair professional dyed over it several times since then with dark browns and done every kind of treatment but it won’t hold color. Now it’s a very brassy red/orange with a light-ish brown. It has been 3 years and the brass won’t go away. My hair is also very damaged and prone to breakage. Will this fix it? Or does anyone have any ideas of what I can do?

  121. I’ve had the same problem today. So upset ?. The top of my hair near my roots worked but the rest of my hair didn’t. I had brown dye on the top, if I use purple shampoo will it lighten the top of my head ? ? As I want to keep that and just get rid of the brass highlights xx

    1. i used clariol shimmer lights and the top of my hair is still orange i first tried to dye my hair blonde and my roots were grown out dark brown now ive orange i just went and got the purple shampoo and it didnt take any of the orange out im so upset reviews said it work why not on mine im so upset my hair is awful

      1. try leaving it on like a hair mask- since you died out of the box, it won’t completely get the orange out but the longer you leave it the more it will help fade it!!

  122. i had naturally coppery-blonde hair and i dyed it dark brown and now some of the brassy coppery tones are coming back out! will purple toner work or will it mess up with my dyed brown hair??

  123. Hey so my hair is dark brown and I’m wanting to do an ash or blonde colour can I just use the purple shampoo for dark brown to blonde ?

  124. Thank yo so much for sharing! if you dont mind me asking, how long did you let it sit in your hair before washing?

  125. Hey! I have a bit of a complicated hair situation!!
    So, my natural hair colour is a very red-toned brown, but I have been dying my hair crazy colours for years. I had bleached my hair to VERY, VERY light platinum so that I had a blank canvas after doing a fire-ombre. It was brown at the roots and ombréd to almost white. I decided to just say eff it and I put purple shampoo in my dry hair, and let it sit for lord knows how long. My hair came out a very beautiful silver-lilac colour, and I kept this for about 6 weeks (repeating the purple shampoo on dry hair about once a week and washing with it in the shower maybe 3). It was a gorgeous purple colour and I absolutely loved it. About a week ago, I decided I wanted to see what it would do if I put dark brown hair dye over my silver-lilac hair. So I did, and it washed out as a very dark indigo/brunette ombré.

    My question is, will the indigo fade out of my hair, and what should I do to try to preserve the colour as long as possible without using a different hair dye?

  126. It will fade in a few washes! I would suggest with the really light pieces to only shampoo once or twice a week with the blue shampoo. My boyfriend has blonde hair & accidentally used it and his whole head was green but it went away after two washes!

  127. Hi! I have natural black hair and I want to lighten it up without dying it permanently. Do you think purple shampoo will work if I have it in my hair a bit longer, and if yes then how long? Do you think blue or silver shampoo will work on my hair? Have you ever tried the loreal colorista bleach, ombre or balayage, and do you think it will work on me? If none of those product will work on my hair, do you have any suggestion for what I can do or use for lighten my hair? I know I asked a lot of questions but I really want to do something to my boring black hair, and I really hope you can help. Thanks!

    1. My hair is naturally black, black-brown as well. Purple, teal, or silver, etc. shampoos will not lift your hair color. They are meant to neutralize brassiness. If you have some brassy, coppery tones that appear in your hair (which can happen since the underlying pigment in black hair is red), all those shampoos will do is get rid of it, it won’t alter your natural color or lighten it no matter how long you leave it on. The only real way to lighten or change the color of your hair is to bleach it, use a high-lift permanent color meant for dark hair, use temporary hair colors, or use deep red colors, since those seem to show up pretty well on dark hair. Also, I haven’t tried the L’oreal Colorista line, but it’s unfortunately not formulated for hair colors as dark as ours, ironically since it advertises itself like that. If you want color without bleaching first, try L’Oreal’s HiColor HiLights line at Sally’s, which is meant for dark hair only, including black hair. Hope this helps!

  128. I have brown hair with blonde highlights, I switched from shimmer lights to pravana and my brown looks brassy, what can I do?

  129. Hi! I recently purchased the shimmer lights shampoo. I have used it about 5-6 times now, leaving it in for about 5 mins each time, but am still seeing no results. My hair is brown but naturally ombre to a light brown/orange at the tips. I want to turn it to an ashy color. Is there anything I can do to make this more effective?

  130. So, I was wondering if purple shampoo can be used on regular hair? I naturally have light brown hair with red/orange undertones. If I use purple shampoo will it turn my hair to an ashy brown? Or does it only work on dyed hair?

  131. Hi, I recently had my hair coloured a soft bleach balayage on top of my natural brown hair. It has already started to go brassy and I have the heard the word ‘ginger’ thrown at me so if I follow your steps will it definitely help me?
    Should I ask my hairdresser to put a toner on first?
    Thanks, m x

  132. That’s horrible! I am so sorry you had a bad experience, I too have had a bad black hair dye experience which caused me a lot of troubles too. Black is a tough one :(

  133. Hey! Thanks for the article. ;-) Will a purple/blue toner/shampoo work on natural (not dyed) hair? My hair used to be totally black when I was younger, but as I grow it kinda breaks down to a warmer deep brown… Is it possible to take it back? I’m not too eager to actually dye my hair, I just want my natural color back…! T.T

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *